


Red Freak

by MsMomo



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Flushed Romance | Matesprits, Humanstuck, Multi, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Petstuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-30
Updated: 2013-06-22
Packaged: 2017-12-13 09:30:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/822746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsMomo/pseuds/MsMomo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cronus has been trying to win Meenah's heart, but all he receives for his efforts is a cold shoulder. He notices that she and Latula are great friends and Meenah seems fond of Latula's troll, Mituna. Cronus decides to adopt a troll that will hopefully help him gain Meenah as his girlfriend. If only he knew of the trouble he got himself into.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All art belongs to me and Homestuck belongs to Andrew Hussie

****

“Well, it’s been a whale Meenah.”

“I fuckin saw ya just yesterday Cronus,  and stop using my fish puns while hitting on me. So not cool.” Meenah was dressed nice today, her usual short black tank top, pink camisole underneath, ripped jeans and jewelry.

“Well I’m sorry, but that wasn’t my pick up line. A guy like me greets first then flirts.” That’ll show her you weren’t all about getting someone.

“Everyfin you do is flirting.” Okay, so she was getting a bit agitated. Better treat her to a drink. You two were at a cafe after all. Well, that was mainly because you were kind of following her.

“Waiter, I’d like one caramel latte and an iced coffee.”

“Coming right up.”

Looking back at Meenah, “My special treat.” You smile your killer grin, the one you practiced all morning in the mirror for her.

She sighed, “How thick are ya? Wait, don’t answer that.”

You waggle your eyebrows, “Very thick, if you catch my drift.”

“Ew, just stop glubbing talking please. Sea, I added a please in there so you should definitely stop. “

“Yes, you did put a please in there. But that just means you’re warming up to me!”

She did a double facepalm. “Holy mackerel, sometimes I  like just want to kill ya. Oh what am I glubbing about, I always want to kill ya.”

“Oh you don’t mean that.” Better get to a new topic. “So, I’ve been working real hard on my music. Think I’m going in a new direction, one that conveys what a sensitive guy I am.”

“Not interested.”

“I think it’s going pretty good. Might even get someone to publish it instead of just uploading it on my blog.” Your drinks came. She takes her iced coffee and sips it.

“Do people actually follow ya?”

“Please, who wouldn’t want to follow a guy like me? You can feel my emotions in my music pretty swell, you should give them a try.”

“They’re that bad?” Okay, so totally rude. How could she just keep hurting you like this? Gotta dig deeper into her cold heart, there had to be a small flame of warmth somewhere.

“Here,” You get out your iphone and open one of your songs, “This one’s called Fishing for Love.” You click play.

“Oh cod, turn that thing off Cronus. We’re in public!”

“Best place to do this, maybe a record dealer will hear my beautiful music and appreciate it.” Meenah moved to cover her ears; you put your phone on the table between the two of you and grab her hands. “Please just listen? This is one of the better ones.”

“Cronus, get your clammy hands off me. I am so not digging your tunes.” She squirmed out of your grip and moved to get up. You were about to try to get her stay, but then you notice Latula walk in.

“Hey Pyrope, glad to see your rad self here,” you greet. And then you see her troll. You remember her saying Mituna was four years old and had brain damage or something. All you really knew was the little guy had some issues not being able to comprehend whatever was happening around him. Latula had dressed him like a bee today, just without the wings. His hair was nearly over his weird coloured eyes as usual. Latula was dressed in a teal tank top with some video game logo on it, a black long sleeve shirt underneath and skinny jeans. Her glasses were her usual, but you think something else would look alot better on her. Red glasses were so out of season.

“Yo Cronus and Meenah! High five guys!” She slapped Meenah’s and your hand.

“Latula, great to see you girl! And the lil guy!” She walked over to Mituna and picked him up. “How’re ya doing Tuna?”

 

He grinned “Hi.”

“Are ya a bee today?”

“Um... Bee!”

“Yea, a bee.”

“Where?”

“You.”

“I’m a bee?” You really don’t understand how he can’t comprehend something so simple.

“So Latula,” you begin, “What brings you here?”

“My baby and I were out running some errands. He’s been so good today I decided to treat the rad guy!” She took Mituna back into her arms. “Are you rad Mituna?”

“Good!” The girls giggle. You just don’t understand why the ladies prefer him over you. Honestly, he wasn’t even dateable.  Yet you suppose. But dating a pet was awkward.

‘“So Cronus,” Meenah was talking to you! “I think a guy like ya should treat my friends to something too.”

“Of course Meenah! So, what would you two like?”

Latula grins at you, “Their special iced raspberry, peach and banana tea. Mituna, what are you gonna eat?"

"Bees!" You would worry about him, if you weren't sure he was long gone.

"And a vanilla peach milkshake for him."

You nod and order. It's ready quickly. "Here you guys go." Mituna sits next to Meenah and Latula ends up sitting next to you.

"Don't ya dare pull a move on her." Meenah scowls at you.

"Relax Meenah, I'm not doing anything to her." You put your hands up in innocence.

Latula laughs, "Don't worry girl! He knows he's not rad enough to do anything to me! Not like my baby!" She reaches across the table and rubs Mituna's double horns. He makes a purring sound. Meenah rubs his other horns with a smile on her face. Latula and Meenah are good friends, and Meenah liked Mituna a bunch. So maybe she’d like you too if you had a troll. Ampora, that is a genius idea.

“So Latula, where exactly did the guy come from?”

She grinned, “I thought ya never ask Cronus! Well, I got him a couple months ago. I always made donations to the Troll Adoption Center; they always need help getting food and resources for the little trolls. I found Mituna there. The  poor boy was in bad shape, bandaged up and unresponsive. I knew before whatever happened he had probably been a cool lil guy. So I took him in my home and made him better, remember when no one could understand what the poor guy was saying?” That had been horrible on your ears. “I only wish I had enough money to get him the medical care he needs. Porrim is a wonderful vet, but she doesn’t have all the resources.” You agree with her, Porrim was amazing. Even if you had no idea what the specifics of being a troll vet were. Honestly though, you didn’t exactly care about hearing Mituna’s story.

“Uh huh. Didn’t know we had a place like that.”

“It’s on the other side of town, a few blocks down from the Town Hall. Don’t you live by there?”

“Well, yes, but I’ve never seen it.”

“Ya just notice nofin cept people Cronus.”

“Tch, that’s not very nice.” You check your phone for the time. Damn, you need to get to work. Someday you’ll be a famous artist and your albums will be sold internationally. Getting up, “Well ladies, Mituna, it’s been cool seeing you cats, but I have to go make a living.”

“Getting fired again?”

“I’ll see you later Meenah,” you wink at her, even though she just burned you. Grabbing your stuff, you leave the cafe for your glorious job: Wal-Mart.

****

* * *

 

After work, you walk in the direction of your home. Damn, work was crazy. You simply told a customer that the clothes they’re buying would look horrible on them and perhaps they should get another colour. Your kind efforts never go rewarded. How annoying. Tomorrow will be better though, because today you’re going to get a troll. The  Troll Adoption Center wasn’t difficult to find, it was a nice building with a well kept flower bed and a small fountain in front. As you walk in the door, a small bell rings. The man at the desk looks up at you.

“Hey, you here to adopt a troll?”

“Yeah,” You simply respond. He looked funny, with his hair standing up with red in it.

“Okay, well, my name is Rufioh. There’s a lot of troll types, are you looking for something in particular?”

“Nah, not really.” You’ll just see what they have and then pick one you think Meenah will like.

He nods, “Come with me please” He leads you to another room with kennels. Trolls were inside; you had no idea they came in a bunch of different colours. The little trolls watch you, their tails flipping about and their ears wiggling. They make strange sounds at you, like a cat crossed with an insect.

“These are about two to five years old, if you want something older you’ll have to look elsewhere. This room has the land trolls, their blood ranges from rust to violet. seadwellers are kept in another room but they’re really expensive.” Honestly, you didn’t understand most of what he said. But what does it even matter? You squat down to look at a troll with a dark blue tail. He’s a bit larger than the others and his horns twist downwards. His tail is short and slick.

“How old is he?”

“Almost five years old, he’s a quiet one but gets irritated easily.” The troll sits there blinking at you. You blink back and decide he’s not very interesting. The other trolls don’t strike you as something Meenah will like either. You nearly give up, but then you notice a little troll in the back.

He’s curled up in the corner of his kennel, his tail bandged and wrapped tight against his body. It’s very poofy and unkempt, the tip of it bright red. His hair is slightly curled and covers one of his eyes completely. There are bandages covering a good bit of his face.  “What happened to this guy?”

“Not sure... found him lying in the street bruised and bleeding. We took him in and bandaged him up. The little dude needs more attention than we can give him though... serious medical attention.” That sounded perfect. Meenah would definitely coo all over him while complementing your kindness. How could she resist that?

“So, how much is he?”

“Are you absolutely sure you want him? It’s a huge responsibility, not one that someone new to trolls should have.”

“I’m not new to trolls, they love me! And this guy needs a good home doesn’t he?”

He nods, “Yes... that’s true. Let me open his cage and see if you two get along.” He squats down and opens the kennel. The troll sits there watching you two carefully. “You can approach, but don’t grab him. You need to let him come to you.” You follow his instructions. Crouching down, you offer a grin to the guy.

“Hey there fella, I’m not gonna hurt you.” You extend your hand toward him. His ears perk up a little as he watches you. Slowly he approaches. Sniffing you, his nose feels dry. His red eyes, peeking out from under his hair, makes eye contact with you. You know that Latula makes strange clicking sounds with her tongue to Mituna. With that thought in mind, you try making the sound. It sounds like you’re slightly spitting though. The troll’s ears perk up more now. His hand attempts to prod your leg, but he recoils a little as if unsure. “It’s okay,” you coo. Man do you sound weird, like a girl. This time he does poke you with his finger. You slightly move and he quickly rears back, as if scared you’ll hurt him. “Don’t worry, you’re fine.” You hold you hands like you’re about to pick him up, but you keep your hands in front of him. “Come here.” He lets you pick him up. Once your standing with him balanced on your sad excuse for a hip, he wraps his hands against your neck. He’s clinging onto you tightly, like a child holding their security blanket.  

"Does he have a name?"

"Maybe... I'm not sure. I guess he might from his previous owner. He never told us."

"So how much do I pay for him?"

Rufioh smiles, "I won’t charge you anything, you'll be paying a lot for his medical needs anyways. Are you absolutely sure you can care for him though?"

"Course I can, I'll give this cat the best home he can imagine."

"But he's not a cat..."

"Never even mind." Why do you even try to talk metaphors with such plain guys?

"Alright then... let's go back to the office so I can get the

papers for you and some information papers about trolls."

In the office you scribble your signature and information on the papers with difficulty; the troll refused to be put down. You get to the paper asking what your troll's name was. Well, looks like you'll need to ask him.

"So," you rub his small nubby horns, "you got a name or something?" You feel him shift against you slightly. He's quiet for a bit then whispers something in your ear; you can barely hear him.

"Kankri." Interesting name, you consider how it's supposed to be spelled. On the paper you write K-a-n-k-r-i. Some of the papers you'll probably need to fill out later. You're going to need a good vet. Porrim might offer you a discount or something because she's your friend. Well, that was more one-sided. Getting up, you fold the papers and stash them in your pocket.

"You'll need to come back in a week to file those papers."

"Right, thanks mate."  You walk home with a troll in your arms and papers stuffed in your pocket. The first part of your plan was in motion. Now you could continue onto your main goal: gaining Meenah as your girlfriend.

 


	2. Chapter 2

You quickly discover that it's nearly impossible to put Kankri down. Even his tail has somehow wrapped itself around your arm. He'd apparently decided that you were the safest place on Earth. Of course, you did try a couple of times to pry him off you, but he started whimpering and making other weird depressing noises. He was just too pitiful and cute, and you didn't think you'd survive listening to his quiet racket for too long. God it tugged at your heart; nothing had ever affected you like this before. Okay, it reminded you a little bit of your little brother Eridan. Man he'd been a cute kid, but he was nothing compared to Kankri. You had immediately noticed that Kankri wasn't talkative. Whenever you attempted to have a conversation with him, he just looked at you blinking his long lashes. 

Your coffee maker rings; it was going to be a long night if you couldn't get him off. After filling a cup of the black liquid and adding cream, you collapse on the coach. The remote was on the side table; you grab it and turn the tv on. Looks like the last thing you watched was the news. Nothing interesting was happening in the world right now. Kankri shifts in your hold to to view the tv. He looks slightly afraid of it. Did the last person who had him not let him watch tv? Actually, did he even have an owner before you? You almost ask him, but then decide against it. He wasn't going to answer, that much you'd learned about him. In front of your face, you notice he's propped himself up to look you in the eyes. After you and him just blink at each other for a couple seconds, he points toward the tv. His expression changes to one of curiousity.

“That’s a tv,” you explain, “we can watch stuff on it.” Then an idea strikes you. “Kankri, can you say ‘tv’?” He looks at you, blinking as usual. “I know you don’t seem like a chatty fella, but it’s nice to say things once in awhile.”

He frowns, then his mouth moves toward your ear. “Tv.” His voice sounds so frail and croaky. You hadn’t noticed that earlier. But then, that was kind of hard to hear if he didn’t talk a lot. He whispers something else in your ear, “Hurts.”

“What hurts, fella?” His finger taps his throat. “Oh, you probably just have a cold. You’re throat will be just fine in a few days." He doesn’t seem to believe you though. "So, I guess I better feed you." Except, you have no idea what trolls eat. You do know however that tea is good for a sore throat. Getting up, you carry him to the kitchen. The cups are in the sink; the dishes still need to be washed. You grab a cup and wash it out then fill it with water. This goes in the microwave and you go find your tea bags. They're hiding in the back of your cabinet in individual wrapped packages. No idea what kind of tea it is, but you're going to stick a bunch of honey in it anyways so it really doesn't matter. The microwave dings and Kankri jumps a little. You pat him on the head and he settles back down. Once you place the cup on the counter, you rip the package and dip the tea bag into the water. Now you need to find the honey. It's probably in the pantry. When was the last time you used these things? While you're digging in the pantry, Kankri moves against you. Actually, you realize he's reaching out to something. It's the bear shaped honey container he's reaching for. "Good find Kankri, that's exactly what I'm looking for!" He hands it to you and the corners of his mouth raise a little bit. Good, the kid was smiling now. You were doing something right apparently. Kankri holds the honey as you walk back to the counter. You take the tea bag out and fill the majority of the cup with honey then take it to the table and sit down with Kankri in your lap.

"Here you go," you bring it to his lips, "this will make your throat feel better." He shakes his head furiously. "Oh come on, I promise it tastes good." You take a sip, "See? If I can drink it so can you." Instead of complying, he hides his face in your shirt. "You are being so unreasonable right now," you huff. "If you aren't going to voluntarily drink it I'm going to force it down your throat." God, you were making good progress too. Why couldn't everyone just love you and do everything you say like they're supposed to? "Kankri, I'm so serious. Come on, drink it." You rub his back, hoping to give the impression that nothing was going to hurt him. Afterall, you were truly a nice guy. All children, and trolls, should like you. He looks at you, then at the cup, then back at you. "I promise it's safe, cross my heart." Leaning toward it, he sniffs it. You watch with baited breath; hopefully he'll drink it. Kankri's bandaged fingers take hold of it and lifts it toward his mouth. The lil guy downs it in one gulp. He starts to cough a little. Gently, you brush his hair from his face and rub his back. "Good troll," you say out of relief. He tilts his head up at you and the corners of his mouth curve upward slightly. Leaning against your chest, you hear him yawn. Then he sneezes. "Looks like someone needs some sleep." You get up and yawn as well. Seems you need some sleep too. At least, you hope you'll sleep. It wasn't going to be easy with a troll squeezing the life out of you.

Upon entering your bedroom, you collapse on your bed unto your back. You don't bother changing or anything. Hopefully Kankri wouldn't hold you so tightly as he fell asleep. At the current moment, his ears were perked up as he looked around the room. You pat his head again, "Go to sleep kiddo, nothing will get you while I'm here." He drops his head onto your chest and snuggles up against you. With difficulty, you manage to pull the blanket up from underneath you and on top.For brief moment, you wonder if pets should be allowed to sleep in a bed with you. Too late to think that over though. Kankri was already asleep. You try to fall asleep as well. Unfortunately you only manage to fall into a half sleep state. You think your shirt is getting wet because he’s drooling on it. Oh, and he also is still clinging to you tightly. Fuck getting a good night's rest.

You wake up in the morning wondering what the hell is on top of you. Lifting the covers, you find a troll laying on top of you. “The hell... Oh, wait. Yeah, that’s just Kankri.” You gently shove him off of you and stumble to the bathroom sleepily. Man do you look horrible in the mirror. You don’t ever remember waking up looking this ugly. Going to have to clean yourself up right away. After your shower, you wrap a towel around your waist and walk back into your bedroom. Kankri is still sound asleep and is now clinging to your pillow. Would he need a shower as well? He didn’t have any other clothes except what he’s wearing now though. Looks like sometime you’ll need to go shopping for your troll. Maybe there was a store made specifically for them around the town. You’ll text Latula bout that later. While getting dressed for work, you grab your phone. You still needed to fill out that paper about medical stuff. To do that you’re going to need a vet and luckily you know one.

hey porrim

maryam answver me

come on girl this is about something so serious

please answver me

Ho+nestly Cro+nus, whatever co+uld yo+u need fro+m me? I am wo+rking right no+w.

perfect! wvhats your wvork schedule?

I ho+pe yo+u are no+t asking me o+ut.

no of course not

its nothing like that

wvhen are you at wvork but got no patients

After this next o+ne I have no+o+ne until an ho+ur later. Yo+u co+uld tell me what yo+u want fro+m me, yo+u kno+w.  

see you in a couple hours girl

You stuff your phone into your pocket. Kankri’s starting to stir awake. He bolts right up in a half whimper then sees you. You watch him struggle out of bed, drop on the floor, run/trip toward you and cling to your leg. “Come here you,” you pick him up and head to the kitchen. Opening the fridge you curse, “Damn, need to get food.” In the pantry, you find some Raisin Bran. Hopefully Kankri will like it. You pour him and yourself a bowl of it then add milk. “Alright Kankri,” you sit, “I am not struggling to get you to eat this. If you don’t like it, it’s your loss. I promise that it tastes great and isn’t going to bite you.” He sniffs his bowl, then licks it. “With a spoon Kankri.” You’ve already put a spoon in his bowl. His bandaged fingers take it and you're alarmed at how fast he's eating. “Listen,” you momentarily stop him, “it’s good that you’re eating but not that fast! You’ll choke Kankri!” His ears go down as you scold him. Sighing, “I’m not mad at you. Just be careful.” Breakfast continues calmly.

While Kankri’s finishing up, you call a taxi. Porrim’s work was on the other side of town and you were so not going to walk there carrying a troll. After Kankri finishes, you take him to the bathroom. With a wet towel, you try your best to wash his face. He struggles against you and whines. “Kankri stop being so difficult!” You chide him. Once you’re satisfied that he’s as clean as you can get him, you carry him out, stuff your feet in your shoes and walk out of the house. The taxi is already there and waiting. Good, this taxi driver doesn’t know you yet. Actually, the person who maintains the taxi service probably did that on purpose. You silently remind yourself not to make a fool of yourself.

When you’re inside with Kankri, the driver turns around and frowns, “I’m not sure pets are allowed, sir.”

“Oh come on! He’s just a little troll, he’s not going to claw the seat or anything.”

“I’m sorry sir, but that’s our policy. I suppose I can make an exception, though you’ll have to pay more.”

“Fine, just get me where I’m going.” Fuck you taxi driver. You can’t fucking wait until your car is out of the shop.

 

* * *

 

When you get to Porrim’s troll clinic, you strut right in. There’s no other patients there. Honestly, you’re not sure if she gets a lot of business. You've never seen a lot of trolls on the streets. Then again, she was the only one who specialized in trolls in the town. Ms. Paint is at the front desk; she looks up and smiles at you, “Hi Mr. Ampora. Who do you have with you there?”

You set Kankri on the desk, “Well, babe, the other day I saw this cutie here at the troll adoption place. He looked at me with such needy eyes; I just had to adopt him and make him better!”

“He’s so adorable, is Ms. Maryam expecting you?”

“Yep, I texted her earlier. Maybe afterwards you and I could go get a bite.” You wink at her.

She chuckles, “Sorry Mr. Ampora, but I must decline. I have work today. Perhaps another girl will go with you? I’ve been hearing that you’re still trying to hook up with Ms. Peixes.” Doesn't mean you can't hang out with other ladies too though. “Go ahead to the examination room, I’m sure Ms. Maryam is there waiting for you.”

“Thanks girl.” It’s a small clinic, so there's only one examination room. Porrim really needs to work on her decor better. The place  has a tribal feel to it; you’ve never liked it that much. You're glad it's just the halls and waiting room. Walking into the examination room, you find her sitting in a chair flipping through her clipboard.

“Hey doll, how’s it going?”

She doesn’t look up at you, “It’s going fine Cronus. What is it you wanted?”

“Well, I’ve got someone here for you.”

“Hmm?” Now she looks up. “A troll Cronus? Honestly, what made you think you can take care of one? They’re not like goldfish, you know. And you killed every one you had.”

“Porrim, can we please stay to the present? I’ve got a troll here that needs medical attention pronto and papers I need to fill out about him being up to date with his medical...stuff.”

“You really are lost aren’t you?” She sighs and you’re about to argue back, “Well, maybe this experience will be good for you. Let me see him.” She places a hand on Kankri’s head; he tries to hide in the crook of your neck. “Shhh, little one, I’m not going to hurt you.” She rubs his head gently, “I want to help you.” His response is to whimper and cling to you harder.

“Kankri, it’s fine. She’s a friend. Porrim is going to find out what’s wrong with you and help you.”

“Everything is fine, Kankri.” You find it amazing as she manages to get Kankri off of you. She sets him on the examination table. He trembles but he isn’t whining. You take that as a good sign. “So, you’re name is Kankri?” He gives a little nod. “You’re a quiet troll.” From the counter she grabs a tongue depressor. “Kankri, I want you to open your mouth real big and say ahh. I’m going to place this thing on your tongue and then I’ll shine a light into your mouth so I can see what’s going on back there.” He places a hand over his mouth and looks at her with big eyes.

You take his hand, “You’re perfectly fine kid, doesn’t hurt one bit.”

“I’ll be gentle with you sweetheart.” Cautiously he opens his mouth; she takes a look inside. “How is his throat faring?”

“He’s said it hurts and he rarely talks. If he does, it sounds croaky and scratchy. I think he’s got a cold.”

“That’s only one possibility. From my point of view, it may actually be more serious than that.” She takes the stick out. “I’m not sure if he has strep throat or not, but it doesn’t look pretty down there. Let me finish up the rest of his examination.” After listening to his heart, checking out his ears and eyes, and changing his bandages, she sits back down in her chair. “You said you got him from the Troll Adoption Center? Where did they get him from?”   

“The street. They don’t know any more about it than that.”

“Wherever he came from, it wasn’t good. Underneath those bandages are horrible bruises and cuts.” She clenches her clipboard, “It makes me sick, thinking about people who abuse innocent trolls like Kankri. Why would someone adopt a pet just to hurt them? They need love, safety and family.”

You look at Kankri. He’s started to groom his bright red tail. She was right; it made your stomach churn thinking about it. What about yourself though? You didn’t get Kankri to hurt him. All you want is for him to help you out a bit with Meenah. That isn’t bad, you assure yourself. Of course it’s perfectly fine. It’s not selfish one bit because in the process you’re giving Kankri the home he probably never had and making sure no douchebag dates Meenah. Ampora, you are the best man on earth.

“I’ll need to give Kankri some vaccinations. Let me go prepare them; I’ll be right back.” You can hear her heels as she walks down some hallway in the back. Leaning against the table you rub Kankri’s horns.

“So, where’d you come from Kankri?” He doesn’t answer, only leans into your touch. “Do you even know? Or do you have amnesia or something?” You don’t expect any answer from him.

Soon Porrim comes back, “Cronus, please keep Kankri calm as I give him his shots.” Kankri sees the needle and lets out a shriek that probably hurt him more than your ears. He’s clinging to you now with what you’re deciding to call the Kankri death grip.  “I suppose I should get this done with as quickly as I can. Hold him still please, I’m  going to insert the needle into his arm.” You rub his back and shoosh him.

Porrim takes his arm as gently as she can with him struggling and gives him his vaccination. Once she’s done, she pats his head. “See, that wasn’t so hard was it Kanny?”

You raise your eyebrow, “Kanny? Are you serious?”

“Yes I am Cronus. I expect I’ll be seeing him frequently. Kanny, I have a reward for you.” He doesn’t budge. Even so, she pulls out a lollipop from her pocket. It’s cherry flavoured; she hands it to you.

“Kankri, look what she’s giving you.” You place it in front of his face. He takes it and looks at it. Porrim reaches over and pats his head.

“Only good patients get a reward.” Once you unwrap it, he proceeds to bite the lollipop off of the stick. Porrim chuckles at him. “Aren’t you an interesting one.” Your phone beeps and Kankri jumps.

“Don’t worry, that’s just reminding me I have to go to work. So Porrim, how much?”

“I’ll give you a discount Cronus. After all, you’re incredibly poor. I suppose I'm giving you financial aid.”

“Hey, watch it. I’m just saving my money for a better place.”

She rolls her eyes at you. “Well you’re not doing a very good job of that. You’re such a child.” Standing up, “Come, you can pay at the front desk. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t hit on my secretary.”

You shrug and follow. “Cute ladies deserve to be recognized Porrim. Or are you jealous?”

“Grow up Cronus.”

“Oh, and I’m going to need a car to get to work. Can I borrow yours?”

“No.”

“Oh come on babe, just for today?”

“You already trashed yours what makes you think I’ll let you use mine?”

“Because the taxi service doesn’t allow pets to ride in their cars.”

“Really?”

“Yep.”

She sighs and digs in her pocket. You catch the keys she tosses toward you. “I swear, if you get one scratch on it I’ll make you pay the entire bill.”

Laughing nervously, “Don’t worry. No harm will come to it.”

At the front desk, you slightly cringe as you make your payment. Even with a discount it was a lot; you didn’t have the best health insurance. Money was a huge issue and your job paid horribly.  It’s not going to last forever, you remind yourself, one day you’re going to be a celebrity with the most popular music on Earth. Your phone beeps again, reminding you of where you need to start heading to. Kankri needs somewhere to stay while you work however. You’re already close to being fired; another screw up and you’ll be jobless again. “So Porrim, you know how you’re really good with Kankri?”

“What do you want Cronus?” She’s flipping through her clipboard again.

“Well, you see, I have to go to work.”

“Mm hm.”

“So I was wondering if you could watch Kankri.”

She looks up sharply at you. “Oh my god, you can’t be serious.”

“It’ll only be a little while, a few hours.”

“Cronus! No! He needs you right now. The only reason he’s fine with me is because you’re around.”

“You’re a vet Porrim. You take care of trolls. I’m sure you two will be fine.” You force Kankri into her arms. He looks at you confusedly. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back in a while. I’m just going to work and you’re going to stay with Porrim.” Gently, you rub his horns.

His eyes get big and watery and his lower lip trembles. “No.”

“Cronus, this isn’t fine at all.”

“I’ll be back in a bit, you can text me if you need something.”

“I have a patient coming! I adore Kanny, but I-”

“Thanks Porrim,” you cut her off. “Behave kid.” You place a kiss on the top of his head. As you walk out the door, you can hear Kankri call out in his croaky voice.

“Cwonus!” It's only for a few hours you remind yourself. Need to get money to support your new family member. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
